THREE premature babies have died in a remote community in Papua New Guinea’s Markham District after their mother gave birth at eight months.
The mother was evacuated from the Onga-Waffa local-level government area to Lae by helicopter on Monday morning after the babies died.
One baby died on Sunday night, while the other two died at about 9am on Monday, according to Manolos Aviation chief executive and pilot Captain Jurgen Ruh.
The mother was flown to Lae shortly after 10am and taken to hospital for further treatment.
Health workers at the local facility attempted to care for the premature babies, but the facility had limited resources and could not provide the specialised neonatal care required.
He said the outcome could potentially have been different if the emergency call had reached the medevac team earlier.
The case highlights the challenges of providing emergency maternal and newborn care in remote parts of PNG, where distance from hospitals and limited medical resources can delay access to specialised treatment.
